Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Jovana Đuričić, Content Marketing Specialist
Photographer: Ksenija Iković, Head of Design
Bild Studio is the fastest growing agency in Montenegro, the country with very underdeveloped advertising market and with a small number of agencies. Aleksandra Bošković is a part of Bild’s team for two years. Initially she held the role of marketing manager, and later became general manager of the agency. She revealed for us how it is to be part of the top management of a Montenegrin agency.
The position of a general manager sounds enticing. Could you explain for us what it is that you mainly do? Or is it easier to list out the things you don’t do?
As in every hierarchically arranged company, this position involves managing the entire organization, projects and people, development of the company, improving business processes, solving big and small problems, personnel and organizational problems, creating and preserving the corporate culture.
You probably don’t have a typical working day, but could you still try to describe one?
Morning coffee – inbox.; Projects – first one, second, third; Problems – solving; Questions – answering; Meetings – first one, second, third; Break for ad hoc Q&A; Coffee – because of habits, tea – because it’s proper thing to do; A decent dose of stress; A pinch of nervousness and, in the end, all of it seasoned with lots of laughter and good times.
Oh yes, at the end of a day like this, I recommend a glass of red wine in the winter, or a beer in the summer time, in the company of friends.
Communication is the key for your business. How do you manage in situation when you can’t reach an agreement with someone?
I don’t give up so easily. Communication is a two-way process. It implies dialogue and will not end in compromise and understanding if you think that only you are right. I lean heavily on the exchange of arguments and opinions, so that in the end we always find a common solution.
Did you even imagine five years ago that you would be working in an agency one day?
Five years ago, I did not want to change my job, because I was constantly perfecting and improving myself and my knowledge. The moment I first felt that I was stagnant, that I was thinking that I gave my best and that I need a change, I ventured out to change everything. At one crucial moment, I came across a quote by Meša Selimović about changes and how we begin to age the moment when we are afraid to step into the unknown. Given the fact that I was in my 20s at the time, this kind of a warning gave me the strength to not worry and to snap out, despite (in)security.
Marketing was becoming one big, unpredictable area of business. How much is in your opinion marketing in Montenegro different from the region and the world?
Marketing is not so unpredictable, if you follow the trends, that are really changing fast, but in order to give better results which you can plan and monitor more precisely. The difference between Montenegro and the region in terms of digital marketing and the results achieved is huge, not even to mention the comparisons with the world … There are many reasons for this: small market, insufficient agencies that are actually engaged in digital marketing, ignorance and lack of recognition of the opportunities that digital marketing offers, lack of personnel and much more. Differences are best seen when you show up at a regional gathering of agencies, such as the Weekend Media Festival, and only then you figure out how far you still have to go in terms of creative work and success that these agencies achieve. The situation is changing, but we need radical and rapid changes to catch the moment and join the regional game.
Bild Studio in its business mostly relies on the IT industry. There’s a prevailing opinion that this is an industry into which women rarely venture. Still, Bild Studio in this segment as well topples all the standard patterns. Do you think other companies in Montenegro will also follow that example?
It is well known that in Montenegro we don’t have a lot of women in top management positions, while in the positions of middle management there are indeed many of them and they mostly do great work, as well as their counterparts in the same positions. From my family life, I’m not used to being told that some position doesn’t belong to me, under the pretext of me being a woman. And also my mother has been in a managerial position for 18 years now, and she has been awarded multiple times for successfully performing her job. So, there are no obstacles – or rather I don’t want to recognize and accept them. In the Bild Studio we have 18 women out of 53 people, and out of ten sectors four are led by women. There is no prejudice and we follow and expect the same results from everyone.
So far you have worked on a great number of projects, but there is certainly one that you are especially fond of
Mentoring in the “Great Summer Practice” and continued mentoring within the project “Transfer of Knowledge”, which began a few months ago. As for other projects, I like to get involved when all teams work together, as I am fascinated by the number and diversity of ideas which spawn in that process and that mode of work.
When you work with multiple people, in multiple positions, stress is somehow unavoidable. How do you deal with that?
With a deep inhale and exhale. With a coffee break, a yoga session, walking, reading books… Sometimes I let myself yield to the pressure, because it forces me to finish some things that had been causing me problems. Sometimes, none of the aforementioned helps – except a deep and long sleep.
If you could have a superpower, which superpower would it be? :)
Reincarnation.
And the final question – if you were “on the other side” of this interview, what would you ask yourself?
At the end of the day, do you still love your job?
And my answer would be: “Yes, very much so. Otherwise, I couldn’t, nor would I want to do it.”
If you wish to watch the entire interview, check out this link.